Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Real Id topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Testimony and agency concerns slow Real ID safeguard bill; sponsor moves to roll to 2027
Summary
A bill to preserve Tennesseans' choice of non‑Real IDs and to limit state compliance if federal Real ID uses expand drew testimony from privacy advocates and objections from the Department of Safety; the subcommittee voted to roll House Bill 2609 to the 2027 calendar after debate and an offer by the sponsor to draft amendments.
Chairman Hulsey opened discussion of House Bill 2609 and said he planned to roll the measure while allowing an out‑of‑state witness to testify.
Lisonbee Lucas, public policy director at Citizens Council for Health Freedom, told the subcommittee the bill “protects Tennesseans' right to obtain the ID of their choice” and seeks “safeguards against federal expansion of the Real ID program.” Lucas described five reasons to back the bill, saying the legislation would permit residents to keep a non‑Real ID and would trigger an automatic repeal if federal uses of Real ID were broadened beyond the current checklist. “The Real ID Act requires that source identification documents…be copied and stored in a transferable format, creating a digital gold mine for hackers,” she said.
Members questioned how the bill would affect air travel and other federal checkpoints. Representative Wright noted passengers can use passports as an alternative; Lucas replied that the TSA accepts 17 forms of ID and that alternative procedures, including a $45 identity verification fee, exist for people without those documents. Representative Pearson pressed whether people receive notice about practical consequences; Lucas said in her experience people who choose a regular (non‑Real) ID are generally aware of the tradeoffs.
Graham Tudor, director of legislation for the Tennessee Department of Safety, told the committee the department has “serious concerns” with the amendment on the bill that would let individuals request the department not retain certain identity documents. Tudor said state law requires proof of citizenship and residency and that the department has kept scanned documents for more than 20 years; those records help the department detect fraud and prosecute bad actors. “We use that for a multitude of purposes…that's for Class D licenses. Again, state law mandates that,” Tudor said.
Sponsor Hulsey said he would work with the Department of Safety to draft an amendment that allows storage but limits sharing for regular driver's licenses, and then asked the committee to roll the bill so those changes could be prepared. The subcommittee approved the motion to move House Bill 2609 to the first calendar of 2027; the clerk announced the vote was 8 ayes and 1 no.
